Numerous tennis net constructions are well-known in the prior art. Generally, such nets are formed by repeatedly applying the netting and a vinyl headband to a double needle sewing machine to stitch the headband to the netting. Suitable lacing grommets are then affixed at each end of the net. Such prior art constructions suffer unacceptable failure rates due primarily to weathering and deterioration of the stitches themselves caused by their being repeatedly struck by the tennis ball during use. Moreover, even the manufacturing process used to make such nets contributes to their eventual failure. This is primarily because the stitching needles used to stitch the headband to the netting often distort the vinyl, thus weakening the stitched seams and subjecting them to shear failure.
One suggestion to solve these problems was provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,067 to Bramley. This patent described a tennis net construction wherein the headband was essentially welded to the netting at selective locations along the net. This construction obviated the use of stitching and did provide certain useful improvements over the prior art. The Bramley net construction, however, was difficult to manufacture due to the need to selectively weld the vinyl at predetermined locations. The selective placement of welding was also undesirable and contributed to failure because the stress of the metal cable drawn through the net could not be evenly distributed along the net length.
There is therefore a need to provide new and useful tennis net constructions and methods of manufacture that overcome these and other problems associated with the prior art.